


The Time the Jedi Council Got It Right

by skywalker-disaster (Sasquatch_Lover)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Crechemaster AU, Gen, Original Character(s), Padawan Anakin, Pre-Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, will tag more later, youngling feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-20 23:49:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6030337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasquatch_Lover/pseuds/skywalker-disaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crechemaster Anakin AU based on that post that was going around on Tumblr.</p><p>Anakin Skywalker was tasked with creche duty by the Jedi Council. He doesn't want to be there at first, but the idea starts to grow on him. So do the younglings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Yo, it is edited now. 
> 
> I have seen no one step up to write the AU, so I decided "I might as well do it." So, here you go! Enjoy!

“Crèche duty? Master, do I have to?” Whined Anakin Skywalker, 15 year old Jedi Padawan. He and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, 31 year old Jedi Knight, had just exited the Jedi Council’s room. They had just delivered their mission report, the good and the bad.

"Yes, Anakin. You heard the council, and you must take responsibility for your actions, and their consequences.“ Obi-Wan told Anakin, with a scowl on his face and exhaustion in his eyes.

"But it wasn’t even my fault! How was I supposed to know that giving the little girl some chocolate was bad! Nobody told me that she was allergic!”

"One, you weren’t supposed to have chocolate with you in the first place, my young Padawan. Two, her allergy was listed in the family details. You were tasked to read them-“

"I did read them!”

"-and memorize them. Which clearly, you didn’t. Might I remind you that it is a Jedi’s responsibility to always be prepared to the best of their ability?“

"You might” Muttered Anakin under his breath, but there was no heat in his words. He knew his master was right, and he felt responsible for what happened to the girl.

“Crèche duty will do you some good, Anakin. Taking care of the children will remind you to take your duties seriously, especially when there are innocent lives involved. Don’t look at this as a punishment, look at this as a learning opportunity.”

"Easy for you to say, Master. You don’t have to do this.“

"Yes, however I do have something else that I must be doing. You must be at crèche in an hour, Anakin. Until then, please behave, and don’t give anymore children some chocolate.” With that, Obi-Wan left his apprentice and walked away in the other direction.

"Oh, haha, very funny, master.“ Now left to his own devices, at least for an hour, Anakin wasn’t sure what to do. There wasn’t much he could do in an hour, and not get to crèche duty late. He didn’t need another scolding from his master, or any other master for that matter.

Directionless, he let his feet and the Force guide him on his way. Anakin had to prepare himself mentally for the task ahead of him.

It’s been a long time since he had to take care of smaller younglings. Back on Tatooine, he had to help his mother all the time with babies and small children. Since Shmi Skywalker was the midwife for all the slaves of Mos Espa, Anakin was made to help with the deliveries once he became old enough. And occasionally, those same babies, and later toddlers, were dropped off at the Skywalker hovel while the mother had to perform certain…duties. So, Anakin knew how to take care of younglings, for the most part.

But, taking care of younglings was something he always associated with his mother. He knew, if he let himself, he would be thinking about his mother non-stop during his crèche duties. He wasn’t supposed to, he was supposed to have let go of his attachments to his mother by now, but he hasn’t and he doesn’t think he ever will. He is a failure in this, and he would rather not have been reminded of his being a failure.

Breaking out of his train of thought, Anakin looked up to see where he was led. He sees that he is at crèche, more than fifty minutes early. Now even more irritated than before, Anakin was about to turn around when a voice interrupted him.

“Oh, young Skywalker! You’re early!” Said Amila Roncha, the Twi’lek 65 year old crèche master. From where Anakin is standing, he can see more than a dozen small younglings behind her. Just a little bit panicked, Anakin said the first thing to come to mind.

“Um, haha, yeah. Well, you see, I was, um, hoping to get here early! Yeah! To, um…” Anakin trailed off, he could see a few younglings giggling.

“Well, we were just on our way to the cafeteria, it’s lunch time you know! Why don’t you join us, get something to eat as well!”

“Yeah, okay. That’d be great!” Anakin forced himself to smile. Master Roncha smiled back, and walked forward, beckoning Anakin to join her. Once at her side, Anakin walked forward, making sure to not look at the younglings that were behind him.

The walk to the cafeteria contained much small talk between the two eldest members of the group. Master Roncha talked the most, but Anakin was able to relax after a few minutes and added more to the conversation. The younglings were engaged in their own conversations, he was able to catch snippets of “what are you going to eat?” to “I wanted to play more” and “who is the padawan?”. Soon enough, they were at their destination, and nothing traumatic happened. Master Roncha (“Please, call me Amila!”) turned around to address the younglings.

“Now, remember, get in a nice straight line and don’t be disruptive. Many Jedi come here to eat and relax and we don’t want to make them uncomfortable, do we?” A collective “no” was heard. “Good, now come along, younglings- oh! Where are my manners! Younglings, this is Padawan Anakin Skywalker,” she made a gesture at him with her hand, “ he will be joining us for the week. If you have any concerns, please go to young Skywalker before coming to me, okay?”

“Yes, Master Amila!”

“Good, now, for real this time,” giggling could be heard, “come along, younglings!” Master Roncha led the younglings into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria had two different lines, one was for smaller beings (youngling or species) and another for taller beings. There was a basic array of foods displayed by the cafeteria cooks, a wide variety for many species. Before the lines were many tables scattered all around the large room. There were many Jedi sitting around and having lunch, some were with others, some were alone. All were well within their own world with minimal alertness in their posture. There was a section that was empty, as it is reserved for the younglings during this time.

Once the group neared the lines, Master Roncha stepped out of the line to allow the younglings to continue toward their line, Anakin followed her. Once the two older Jedi were in line to get their food, a small comfortable silence fell between them.

“So, you didn’t read about Senator Gamgora’s daughter having an allergy to chocolate?”

Anakin looked at her in surprise, and opened his mouth to defend himself, but then closed it and looked down. He had read the mission details, the first page of the flimsiplast, anyway. He skimmed over the rest of it. Feeling even more ashamed, Anakin kept his silence.

“I don’t think you are a bad kid, Anakin.”

Anakin looked up at the sudden change of subject. A bad kid? Where did that come from? No other words were exchanged as they got their food. Once they had their food, Master Roncha instructed Anakin to go sit at the table behind her’s, one half of the class will sit with him.

Once Anakin got to the table, he was that there were already some younglings sitting there and eating. Among the already seated kids were two girls, a Human and a Togruta, and a Twi'Lek boy. They looked up when Anakin sat down. Anakin gave them a small wave, and the younglings returned it with small smiles scattered among then, and then went back to eating.

Anakin looked down at his food, a bantha steak and mixed vegetables, pressured by his conscious to get something healthy while eating with younglings. He thought back to his first bantha steak, a week into his stay at the Jedi Temple. He had never had it before on Tatooine, they couldn’t afford it. Bantha were more useful as transportation than as food. Any meat they eat came from small creatures, and even then it wasn’t a common occurrence; meat was expensive. So, he was surprised when he got to the Jedi Temple and there were all kinds of meats of better quality. Bantha steak was considered common and inexpensive. How different things were in the Core.

“Padawan Skywalker?”

Anakin was snapped out of his thoughts by a small, hesitant voice. He looked up to see all the younglings under his care were already seated. And looking at him, why were they looking at him?

“Yes?”

“You’re not eating, your food is getting cold.” Said the small human girl, her eyes big in worry about his food. How cute.

“Thank you, um, youngling. I got lost in my thoughts.” His smile wasn’t as forced as it was before. She smiled back, happy that she had helped him. And with that, Anakin started to eat. The steak was good, but it was nothing compared to his mother’s cooking. She was so talented, able to turn even the most disgusting thing into something edible. A most valuable skill that she had taught Anakin. He missed her.

He stopped himself there. He couldn’t let himself get distracted on thought of his mother. Not right now ( _Not ever_ , says a voice that sounds suspiciously like Obi-Wan).

Once he finished the steak, he started in with the vegetables. He glanced up and noticed that quite a few of the younglings were still looking at him. Some had even started to pick at their vegetables as if to eat them. Ignoring them, he went back to eating, but he couldn’t get their eyes out of his mind. He finally put down his utensils and looked at the younglings.

“What is it? Why are you guys looking at me like that?”

They started to shuffle around a bit, looking between themselves. Finally, the small Togruta girl spoke up.

“You were sad.”

“What? No, I wasn’t!”

“Yeah you were! You were sad and we felt it through the Force!”

The other younglings all nodded in agreement. Anakin was shocked. How were they able to feel his emotions? He was sure that he had his shields up. He looked forward, toward Master Roncha, but she was eating in peace, giving away no indication that she felt what the younglings felt.

“Why are you sad?”

Anakin looked back towards the younglings, the little human girl from before had spoken up again. She looked sad, as if he was sad for him. All the younglings looked concerned, they stopped eating and were looking at him for an answer.

“I’m not sad, kids. I was just thinking about something from when I was a kid.”

“When you were in crèche like us?” Asked a small human boy, his brown eyes wide with wonder and questions.

“Um, actually… I wasn’t raised in crèche. My mother raised me until I was found by the Jedi when I was nine.” Anakin gave a simplified version to the younglings, no need to give his entire life story. The younglings went quiet. Then the same boy spoke up.

“You knew your mom?” All the younglings looked at Anakin in wonder, as if they have never seen anything like him. In a way, they were right.

Anakin wasn’t sure how to handle this. They were only small children, surely this was too complicated of a topic for discussion, right?

“Yeah, I knew my mom.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. He can’t talk about his attachment to her to the younglings, surely.

“That’s why you were sad? Because you miss your mommy?”

Anakin looked up to see that it was the Togruta youngling from before who had spoken. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. Tears and understanding.

“I was brought here two years ago, I still remember my mommy, a little. She used to give me hugs and then kiss me goodnight. I miss my mommy, too.” She started to cry softly, as to not bring too much attention to herself.

Anakin didn’t know what to do. He looked at the other younglings for some hint of direction, but all of them seemed close to crying. Were they all brought in around the same time? Do they remember their families, too?

Then, it hit Anakin. They were just _younglings_. They were Jedi younglings, sure, but still just _younglings_. They still remembered their families, they still needed their families. But they didn’t have their families, they only had each other. Other younglings that were given up, just as they were. Given up to a society that wanted them to let go of the attachments they had formed to their birth family. If it was hard for him, after almost six years of training, it must be hard for the younglings. Regardless of how long they had their family before they were taken away from them. They were in the same boat that he was in, and they needed someone who understood them.

With that, Anakin stood up and walked to the small Togruta girl (she was _so_ small) and hugged her. He felt her tense up in surprise, but then she relaxed again. Anakin looked at the other younglings and opened his right arm, the one not currently around the little girl. Some of the younglings came to him instantly, others were more hesitant. But, in the end they were all in Anakin’s embrace (and he was so glad for his recent growth spurt). Anakin stayed quiet, but he let his emotions reach the younglings, and hoped that it soothes them and makes them feel better.

After a few minutes, no need to raise alarm (luckily the cafeteria was much emptier than earlier), Anakin let go of the now calmed down younglings. He smiled at them, and they all smiled back at him.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all.


	2. It Was Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 is over, Anakin is finally home. Obi-Wan asks him how it went, Anakin never answers out loud. He doesn't need to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished the chapter early to celebrate my reaching 2,000 followers on Tumblr! It is unedited, but it should be legible and get the story across. Enjoy!

“So, how’d it go, Anakin? I’m assuming it went well.”

These were the first words that greeted Anakin as he walked into his shared quarters. Obi-Wan was in the kitchen, making Force knows what this time, but it was no surprise that he felt Anakin. His master was always going on about how he needs to work on his shielding more and his sarcasm less. And he has been working on them, but after taking down his shields with the younglings, he had forgotten to put them back up.

Not that he minded, of course. After a few rough patches, he ended up enjoying his day immensely. Once every one of the younglings were finished eating (and his group was last thanks to the impromptu hug session) the group walked back to creche. There Anakin was tasked with watching the younglings play while Master Roncha “meditated”. Meditated his ass, Master Roncha decided to put all the responsibilities on Anakin while she took a break. But after watching over the younglings, he didn’t blame her.

He thought the younglings on Tatooine were energetic, he soon learned that they had nothing on Force Sensitive younglings. They decided to play hide n’ seek, and make him the counter. He must say, the masters sure wasted no time in teaching the younglings to hide themselves, both physically and through the Force. But, they were still very young and thus, not that good at it. He did have to give them an A for effort, because even without that advantage, the younglings were still able to hide themselves very well. So he spent his day looking for the younglings, and once they were found, they went on to play more fun games. Like tag.

Anakin was made “It” and he had to force himself to go go easy on them and not tag someone too soon. He lasted five minutes and tagged the little human girl from earlier. He learned that her name was Mari (“My name is Mari Amithest and I like you! You give nice hugs!” The smile she gave him was too cute, but he will never admit it to anyone. Never), and that she was fast despite her tiny structure. 

Everything went smoothly, until a fight broke out between the Twi’lek boy from earlier (“Hi, name is Shadwa Polli, but you can call me Shad, everyone does…” He continued to ramble on, and said something about the color green, but Anakin couldn’t even remember) and a human boy from the group that sat with Master Roncha (“Gaines!”). Shad had been touching the “safe column” when the boy tagged him, thus making Shad get angry and try to pick a fight with him. 

Anakin got in the middle of them before anything could actually start. Had this happened just the day before, he would have been shocked that Jedi younglings could do petty childish things like normal children. Luckily he had his epiphany just about an hour before. He was prepared. It was just like dealing with fights on Tatooine, when he wasn’t one of the ones fighting.

 

**(** “Woah, woah, calm down you two.” He tells them with his best impression of Obi-Wan’s Stern Voice.

“But I was touching the column! I was safe! He’s still It!” Cried Shad, pouting at Anakin and glaring at the boy. Yup, typical youngling.

“Nah uh, the Safe Column is the one behind you! It’s not my fault that you’re stupid!” Yelled the boy, gasps and whispers of “He said a Bad Word” could be heard from the younglings. Anakin rolled his eyes, unable to stop himself. Shad was turning an interesting shade of purple.

“Look, kid-”

“Gaines!”

“-whatever, there is no need to get so hostile. You can’t let you anger get to you in a situation like this, especially when it’s with a friend-”

“He’s not my friend!”

“-or ally. And if you interrupt me one more time, you are getting a lecture of Epic Proportions taken from my master, and trust me, you don’t want that.” Anakin paused and took a deep breath, trying to stall for time to come up with good, helpful advice. “You need to look at the situation you are in and and the situation the other person is in, without letting your emotions cloud your judgement. Your emotions are important, but they shouldn’t influence everything you do, okay? Now, tell me, why are you angry?” Anakin said with a soft tone of voice. 

Gaines looked down, most of his outwardly over the top anger was gone, so he was able to think about it more. 

“I don’t know...I was It for a long time, ‘cause I’m not as fast as the other younglings. And Shad was just standing there, touching the column and ‘miling at me funny. He wasn’t It yet, and it wasn’t fair. I guess Master Roncha is right, anger is bad and leads to the Dark Side.” Gaines finished off, crying as he finished.

Anakin’s eyes softened and he kneeled down in front of Gaines and put a hand on his shoulder. He put his hand on his chin and lifted it up, so that he was looking at Anakin. 

“Hey, none of that, okay? Anger isn’t a good thing, true, but it is  _ normal _ . Everyone experiences anger at some point in their lives, whether it is for a serious reason or not, but that doesn’t mean that they are Dark. You just have to learn how to control and manage your anger to the best of your abilities. Most of the Masters here will tell you to release your anger into the Force, and that’s definitely something that you will need learn to do, but sometimes you just need to analyze your anger to come to the bottom of  _ why  _ you are angry, does that make sense?” 

Anakin paused to look at Gaines and the rest of the younglings, they all had a look of thought on their faces. Gaines had stopped crying. Anakin heard a small “no” come from somewhere to his right.

“Think about it this way, say you are angry because your friend is playing with somebody else other than you. With me so far?” Another pause, everyone nodded. “Instead of just releasing your anger into the Force and moving on, you need to think to yourself, ‘why am I angry?’ so that you can work on your issues. Tell me, why is this person angry that their friend is playing with someone other than them?” 

“They’re jealous!” Piped up a small female voice after a small pause, one he wasn’t yet familiar with. 

“Good. Why are they jealous?”

The pause for this answer was longer than the last one. Anakin took this time to think of his answer, too, and of what he was teaching, as well. What he was teaching was what his mother taught him, not Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan always told him to release his emotions into the Force and to meditate when he was having problems doing so. He never really taught him why other than that it was the way of the Jedi and that not doing so could help lead him down the wrong path. 

Obi-Wan came close when Anakin was ranting about how his fellow Padawans didn’t like him and didn’t respect him in a moment of weakness. He was thirteen and contemplating leaving the Order, though he hadn’t voiced it aloud at that point in time. Obi-Wan listened and after advising him to release his anger and frustration (and  _ hurt _ ) into the Force, to think about why he let those comments and actions of others get to him so much.

“He is insecure.” 

Anakin broke out of his thoughts to look at Gaines, who had a look of understanding on his face. He was the one who had spoken. 

“He’s insecure ‘cause he knows that he is not as good as other people. He knows that people don’t like him ‘cause of reasons he can’t control...(“like asthma” is whispered very quietly, Anakin wonders if he even heard it at all. He knows he did.) and he thinks that it is natural that the friend would leave him for someone else. He’s...he’s insecure.” 

A feeling of understanding and empathy could be felt in the Force. The younglings understood. They understood because they felt the same, somewhere along the line in their young lives. Anakin smiled at Gaines, who smiled back hesitantly but genuinely. He heard footsteps and looked to see that Shad was walking towards them. He stopped when he was beside Anakin and looked at Gaines. Gaines looked at him, too. Shad opened his mouth but Gaines beat him to it.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m sorry that I let my anger make me be mean to you. That was the Safe Column. I was the stupid jerk.” Gaines finished, his apology one of the most genuine ones Anakin ever had the pleasure of hearing. Gaines green eyes contained a spark of determination, though for what, Anakin didn’t know.

“Thank you. I forgive you, Gainy. Even though you were being a jerk. But you weren’t the only stupid one. I was smiling b’cause I knew you wouldn’t be able to catch anyone. I was being a jerk, too. I’m sorry, too. Friends?” These younglings were more mature than a lot of people Anakin knew. And most of the people he knew were Padawans his age or older. Maybe Yoda had a point about how wonderful the mind of a child could be.

There was silence. Gaines and Shad stared at each other and then Gaines hugged Shad. Shad hugged Gaines back, there was a whispered “friends” but Anakin didn’t know from who. Or care. He was happy and it showed from the big smile on his face. He did good.

All the other younglings started to go up to the duo and hugged them as well, as if they had all decided to become friends. They probably did, a thought that made Anakin smile even wider.

The game of tag was over, everyone was too emotionally tired to continue, but there was no complaints. All the younglings were sitting together, no separate groups (at least not for today) and talking to each other. Anakin leaned against the Safe Column, watching them talk. Gaines stood up and walked to him, Shad walking beside him, and asked him to sit with them. Anakin agreed and started to get out of his lean when the two boys hugged him, simultaneously. 

“Thank you.” Nothing else. No other words were needed, really. 

Anakin smiled again, and patted the two on the head, then they all walked back to the group. 

It was a good day.

 

* * *

Master Roncha returned less than hour later, and stopped at the sight in front of her.

All of the younglings were sitting together, all of them asleep and leaning on each other for support. Anakin was in the middle, he had all of the younglings around him with little Gaines and Shadwa leaning against either side. Ashla and Mari were both using his legs as pillows. Anakin, too, was asleep. It was a very peaceful sight and Amila didn’t want to disturb them at all.

So, she let them sleep for an hour more, lessons were flexible, after all.

(But not before taking several holos of the scene, first.) **)**

 

“Anakin? Did you hear a word I said? I was asking about how your day went.”

Anakin’s reminiscence was interrupted by his master’s voice. He looked to see that he was sitting at the dinner table, a bowl of  _ something  _ in front of him and a disgruntled master to the side. Anakin smiled and took a bite of the meal. 

It was good, for once.

It was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mari Amithest and Ashla (the Togruta from last chapter) are both canon characters. They were in AOTC very briefly, I just decided to include them because they were super cute little kids.
> 
> Yeah, I know some of you (if not most) thought Ashla was Ahsoka. She is in the story, she'll just make her appearance in a different chapter. This is Bear Clan, Ahsoka is in another group.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	3. Meditation finds a way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life just has a way of being annoying, doesn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this is kind of late, I've been really busy this week. Between being sick and studying for my two tests (which I got As on!! All that studying paid off!) and not having access to my laptop (only my cellphone and a college computer) life just didn't want me to get this up sooner. I'm already working on chapter 4, and I'm hoping to get it up early next week, since testing is done for now.
> 
> I'd like to thank my beta reader, twilightofthejedi from Tumblr, she's awesome!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

When Anakin woke up he was greeted by the sound of distant voices. Curious, he got out of bed without even a glance to the chrono and crossed the room, making his way to the door as quietly as possible. The slower than usual journey to the door was accompanied with a chill and the voices increasing in volume, thus he was able to identify who they belonged to. It seemed that Obi-Wan got an early morning comcall from Master Yoda and Master Windu.

“-enjoyed his assignment, young Skywalker did. Hmm.” Yup, that was definitely Master Yoda, alright. Nobody else casually speaks like that. Other than Master Yaddle, of course.

“Perhaps it would be best if we reassigned him, then? This was meant to teach him a lesson as a punishment, not have him goofing off with...impressionable youth.” _ Annnd that was Master Windu _ , thought Anakin. He pouted a little, he actually enjoyed himself, he didn’t want to be assigned something else.

“Hmm, reassign him, we will not. Good for young Skywalker, this is. Have much companionship, he does not.”

“Master Yoda, are we certain that is for the best? Anakin has never been the poster child of Padawans before, surely that is a trait that he will pass on to the younglings; purposefully or not.”  _ Thanks for the vote of confidence, Master _ thought Anakin, more hurt with Obi-Wan’s criticism than he expected.

“Have more faith in your Padawan, you should. Perhaps grow to be better Jedi, he will. Stay, Skywalker will. To work with younglings, very wondrous it is.”

“If you think that is the best path, Master.” Anakin doesn’t need to be present to know that Obi-Wan just bowed to the two masters.

“Not I, Obi-Wan. But the Force.”

“Make sure that Skywalker is up in time, Kenobi. I will be dropping by the creche later.”  _ What?! NO! _

“Of course, Master Windu. May the Force be with you.”

“And with you.”

Anakin was trying his hardest not to burst out of his room to confront Obi-Wan, he really was. He didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping.

“Anakin, I know you’re there. I can feel you panicking.”  _ Oops _ .

Anakin opened the door and slipped out of the room to face Obi-Wan. Despite it being early in the morning, Obi-Wan was already dressed in his formal attire (his  _ everyday  _ attire). One look at Anakin and Obi-Wan brought his fingers to his eyes to rub in frustration. Anakin had no idea what provoked that reaction.

“Anakin, put on some clothes-” That was all Anakin heard before he rushed back into his room, now understanding why he had felt so chilly. He grabbed the closest thing, which happened to be a bathrobe, and put it on to hide his mostly naked body.

He always went to sleep with the bare minimum on, as this actually kept him warmer during the night. The Jedi’s blankets weren’t the best in his limited experience, but they were leaps ahead of the ones he had on Tatooine. Thus, the warm material of the blanket kept his desert born body nice and warm during the cold Coruscanti night. The only problem is getting out of the blankets to face the chill with almost no protection. After too many times, Anakin made Obi-Wan get him a bathrobe. He knows he isn’t supposed to have positions but that bathrobe was one of his favorite things in life.

“Anakin, are you finished? We need to talk before you take your shower.”  _ Poodoo _ .

“Can’t we talk  _ after  _ my shower?”

“No. Just come out here, you’re not in trouble...yet.” With that reassurance, Anakin fastened his robe and walked out of his room.

He was greeted by Obi-Wan sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of flatcakes on a plate. Rushing to get to the breakfast, Anakin completely ignored the look that Obi-Wan was giving him.

“Those aren’t for you, Anakin. You’ll get yours after your shower.”

“Well then why did you call me out here before my shower! If it was just to torture me with those delicious flatcakes, I’m out of here!” D _ rama, thy name’s Skywalker _ Anakin thought to himself as he saw Obi-Wan close his eyes in annoyance. He could just act normally but what was the fun in that? His master was just too fun to play with!

“Anakin, please, not now. Just...go to take your shower-”

“Oh, now you want me to take my shower!”

“-so that we can talk about the conversation you were eavesdropping on. Oh, don’t give me that look! You are not as subtle as you think you are.” With that, Obi-Wan took the first flatcakes and started in, obviously expecting Anakin to leave him in peace. Anakin did leave, but only because he wanted to, obviously.

On his walk to the ‘fresher, Anakin started to think about the first time he had a shower in the Temple. It was his first shower using water and Anakin freaked out more than he would like to admit. He was only in there for about three minutes, worried that anymore than that would be wasting their water supply, and even that much was pushing it. It had taken Obi-Wan about a month to finally get him to take longer showers, up to ten minutes; to this day, the longest shower Anakin has taken was fifteen minutes and ten seconds.

Unfortunately, Anakin had a slight issue with the shower and that was his ability to constantly slip in it. It wasn’t only the shower, however, it was any surface that had even the smallest amount of water on it. It was embarrassing and Obi-Wan liked to tease him about it. Especially since a few of his more serious injuries while living at the Temple had to do with his little problem. Well, as long as he never got scarred from his slips, he was okay with it.

After a quick shower, Anakin got back into his bathrobe and walked to his room. He glanced into the kitchen to see that Obi-Wan was making more flatcakes, they appeared about ready to serve. Hurrying his pace, Anakin got into his room and got into his clothes at record speed. He glanced into the mirror to check himself out, seeing everything was in order other than his braid, he made his way into the kitchen, deciding to deal with the braid later.

“Anakin, if I’ve told you once I’ve told you a million times, make your braid before you eat!”

“Yes, Master. Sorry, Master.”  _ Hopefully that’ll get him off my back for now _ but Obi-Wan continued to stare at him from his place at the stove. “Ah, Master? The cakes are burning…”

“Oh, I’m aware.”  _ Kriff _ . Anakin took his hair into his hands and started to make his braid, making sure to be neat about it so that Obi-Wan won’t make him do it again.

Satisfied that Anakin was doing what he told him, Obi-Wan went back to the flatcakes, smirking to himself.

Once Anakin was done and had taken his seat, Obi-Wan presented him the breakfast and sat opposite of him. Taking the first two flat cakes and cutting into them with his knife and fork, Anakin dove himself into eating.

“Anakin, you know that I don’t like it when you eavesdrop, especially when I’m talking with the Council.”

“Well, maybe if you weren’ ‘alkin’ ‘bou’ me behin’ my back, this woul’n’ be a problem!” Anakin said without bothering to swallow his mouthful first.

“Anakin, don’t talk with your mouth open. It is rude and disgusting. Surely you won’t be teaching the younglings under your temporary care to behave like you? Manner wise, that is.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t want that would you, master?” Anakin was still hurt by Obi-Wan’s statement. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that he said that when he knew Anakin was listening.

“Regardless, what’s done is done. As you heard, Master Windu and possibly Master Yoda are going to be stopping by to check on your interactions with the younglings.”

“Geez, I didn’t realize that I was so important that the two highest members of the Council would check on me personally.”

“It’s more about how the younglings are fairing than yourself. They are the future of this Order, as are you and every other padawan and initiative. It is essential to check up on them every once in a while, now just so happens to be the more convenient time for a visit.”

_Yeah sure,_ Anakin was barely able to contain his eye roll. “I thought that Master Yoda was active in his visits and lessons with the younglings?”

“He is, but the visits have gone down a bit. Ever since Master Dooku left the Order, Master Yoda has withdrawn himself from the company of younglings. He still gives lessons every week or so, but not as often as he used to.”

“Did he teach you when you were in creche?” That was an interesting prospect. Sometimes he wonders about the experiences he missed out on from being raised by his mother rather than in creche. Then he sees her face and knows that it doesn’t matter, he got the better end of the deal.

“He taught the clan I was in, yes. As well as all the other clans. One-on-one training was rare but not unusual. Let’s get back on track, Anakin, shall we? Be sure to be on your best behavior and defer to Master Roncha’s orders.”

“Master Roncha told me that I can call her Amila.”

“Do you?”

“No, but I thought that it was interesting. She is creche master, she is in charge of the younglings early training. Why would she want to be addressed by her name rather than her title when the younglings are near?”

“Master Roncha is an...interesting person. She isn’t too fond of formality, a trait that only grew with her position. She and Master Qui-Gon were friends, and as such we often crossed roads. They got along well.” Obi-Wan got quieter the more he talked, it was always like this when it came to Master Qui-Gon. Anakin knew that his master wasn’t quite as over Qui-Gon’s death as he liked to think. But, there wasn’t much he could do about that other than be there for him, Obi-Wan was very stubborn.

“Well, maybe you can go visit her! I’m sure she would be pleased.”

“Perhaps, but not today, Anakin. She will be busy enough with Master Yoda and Master Windu there let alone you. Three's a crowd, Anakin, what does four make.”

He was just avoiding the issue, like he always does. Anakin decided to drop the issue, there was nothing to be done about this.

When Anakin was done with his flatcakes, he thanked Obi-Wan and washed the dishes. Obi-Wan was still sitting, lost deep in his thoughts.

Checking the chrono for the first time, Anakin noticed that it was nearly nine. He was surprised, he thought it was much later. There was still about three hours until creche, and he didn’t know how to spend them.

He supposed he could work on some of his droid projects, but he just wasn’t in the mood. The conversation he had with Obi-Wan felt like he took a step forward and another one back, leaving him at the exact same spot as he started.

He could probably do his homework ( _ Haha, yeah right _ .) but he usually waited until after his day and after dinner, so he could have an excuse to Obi-Wan for when he inevitably falls asleep.

Maybe he’ll just head over to creche early, it could be interesting to see what the kids are up to at this hour. Checking behind him, he saw that Obi-Wan had left the table and was probably on his way to meditate. If he stayed, Obi-Wan will just make him meditate, too.

Making up his mind, Anakin finished the last of the dishes and wrote a note telling Obi-Wan where he would be. There was no reason to interrupt him now.

Anakin made it to creche within ten minutes, and went into the room. He saw that the younglings were all up and seemed to be in the middle of a lesson on meditation. If that wasn’t karma he didn’t know what was.

_ Maybe I can leave before they notice that I’m here _

“Ah, Anakin! You’re here earlier than yesterday, how wonderful! Please, please, come in! You can help me with my lesson!”  _ Or not… _

“Of course, Master Roncha. It would be my pleasure.”

“Good morning, Padawan Skywalker.” All the younglings said at once, he could sense that they were excited. Maybe they were happy to see him? He hoped so because that greeting was just enough to make him not curse the morning he’s been having.

“Good morning, younglings! Are you excited about….meditating?” Anakin may be a good actor (a scoff that sounded a bit too much like Obi-Wan echoed in his head) but not even he could get too excited about what they were going to be doing this morning.

Regardless, they all nodded with smiles on their faces. He noticed that Shad was waving at him, he waved at him back. Which, of course, got most of them waving at Anakin with various enthusiasm. He heard a soft chuckle and turned to see that Master Roncha eyes were crinkled in amusement, her line laughs more prominent than before.

“Okay younglings, let’s continue where we left off, please. Now, remember that meditating is about letting the Force in. The Force is your friend, and it wants to help you. But, in order to do that, you must first make yourself ready. To meditate is to relax with your friend and tell them all your troubles, so that they can take them away from you.”  _ Huh, I wasn’t taught it that way _ thought Anakin. The kids version sure seemed more friendly.”Anakin! I-”

“I didn’t do it!”

“-need you to help me with a demonstration. I see that I lost you for a second.” Master Roncha raised her brow at him, but was smiling anyway. The younglings were giggling and Anakin was blushing. Ignoring his flushing cheeks, he walked over to Master Roncha from his place at the “Safe Column”. Once he was near her, she grabbed his hand and dragged him down to sit on the floor in front of the younglings.

“I will be the Jedi meditating and Anakin will be the Force. I’m going to meditate to center myself and tell Anakin my problems so that my emotions about them won’t get in the way, okay? You got that Anakin?” Anakin nodded and Master Roncha smiled at him and closed her eyes. As seconds passed by, Master Roncha visibly relaxed. The laugh lines on her face became more subtle and her breathing evened out. After about two minutes, she started to speak.

“I’m getting older still and it is doing a number on my old bones, Force. I still have a good number of decades, Force, so I hope to have you every step of the way. But the younglings are such trouble makers sometimes!” Giggling. “Oh, Force just this morning, I struggled to get Bear Clan to wake up! I don’t want to be accusing, but I fear that young Skywalker had something to do with it.” More giggling. “Tell me, what should I do?”

Anakin stared for a little, unsure of what to say. The younglings were all looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue the show. Thinking back to what Obi-Wan is always telling him that meditation is supposed to feel like, Anakin went off of that.

“You must, um, give me your feelings about this frustration, so that I can, um, help you out!”

_ Awkward. _ “It will do you no good to carry it with you, so give it to me!”

“But I thought you said that we have to get to the bottom of it, first.”  _ Oh no, who said that?! _

Anakin turned and saw that it was Ashla who had spoken, looking at him with a slight tilt of her head, communicating her confusion. Master Roncha looked at Anakin, also confused but not for the same reason.

“Anakin? What is she talking about?”

“Padawan Skywalker told us yesterday that it was important to think about why you are feeling something instead of just giving it up to the Force!” There was some nodding among the younglings. Anakin wondered when it got so hot, because he was sweating.

“Is that so?”  _ That’s not Master Roncha! _ Anakin turns his head to see that Master Windu was standing in the doorway, alone. He unfolded his arms and walked forward, Master Roncha and Anakin both stood up, with different levels of grace. Master Windu looked from Master Roncha to the younglings, who had also stood up, and ending his gaze on Anakin. “Master Roncha, younglings...Skywalker.” Anakin gulped

“Good morning Master Windu!”

“Good morning, Mace. I must say, this morning has been full of surprises. I wasn’t expecting either of you here so early!”

“Yes, well, Kenobi informed me that young Skywalker was here and I decided that now might not be a bad time to observe this session. I might very well be much busier later on.”

“Of course, of course. The more the merrier. Now, I’m afraid that we were just discussing something that young Anakin told the younglings yesterday. Anakin?” Master Roncha turned her head to look at Anakin. Her blue eyes looking at him for an explanation.

“Yes, I too am curious as to what the youngling said. Skywalker? Explain.”

Anakin wasn’t sure what to say. This was not what he had expected to happen at all!  _ So much for the early bird gets the worm… _

“Well, you see, yesterday there was a slight disagreement between two or so younglings.” He heard two small being shift, he suspected it was Gaines and Shad. “And, I told them that they can’t let a disagreement get the better of them. That, they had to think about why they were so bothered rather than to release the feelings into the Force, only. Because then, there would be less of a chance them getting mad over the same reason, right? Well, if the reason wasn’t really worth getting angry about, anyway…”  _ There are actual valid things to get mad about and continue to get mad about, after all.  _  But he didn’t say this thought outloud. He was already in enough bantha poodoo as it was.

“That is an interesting point of view, Anakin. You learned this from experience?”  _ That...was not the response that he was expecting _ . Anakin looked to see that Master Roncha’s face was twisted in fascination. Shifting his eyes to look at Master Windu, he saw that he had a look of deep thought, his brows slightly raised when he saw that Anakin was watching him.

“Regardless, that isn’t what the younglings should be learning right now. What we teach them is to be used as a basis to what they learn later on. It isn’t your place to interfere with that,  _ young  _ Skywalker, regardless of your good intentions.” Master Windu wasn’t glaring at him, but instead looking at him with an odd look in his eye.

Anakin wasn’t sure what to think, he had expected different responses, but he wasn’t going to complain. He wasn’t sure what to say and just stayed silent for now. The two masters dropped it for now, and Maser Roncha continued her lecture, without needing Anakin to play another character. Master Windu didn’t leave, but he did go to stand by another wall to watch the proceedings.

Once the lecture was over, it was only about ten o’clock, Anakin had thought that it was much later. After the lecture came the practice and Anakin was asked to walk around the younglings to help them with any troubles that they had. He could see that quite a few of the younglings were not going to be good at it, like him. He wanted to try to teach them a few tricks that helped him, but seeing as he didn’t learn them from the Jedi, he didn’t think that they would approve.

Anakin kept thinking back to what Master Windu had said,  _ “What we teach them is to be used as a basis to what they learn later on. It isn’t your place to interfere with that,  _ young  _ Skywalker…”  _ It wasn’t his place now, according to Master Windu. But, maybe, it could be.

Maybe it could be.


	4. Enlightening lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning to the last day of Anakin's assigned creche duty, and he reflects on what he experienced and how he feels about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heey! Sorry I'm late, but I was experiencing a bit of a writer's block this week, unfortunately. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do for next chapter, so I think the next one will be out earlier.
> 
> This is the edited version, a big thank you to by beta reader, twilightofthejedi on Tumblr, because I'm too much of a lazy PoS to edit it myself. She's seriously the best!

The days passed by too fast for Anakin’s pleasure. He had been enjoying himself for the majority of the week - something that he didn’t think was going to happen - but the five days of a standard week are up today and he will be freed from his “punishment”. Except, that wasn’t what he wanted.

Anakin has become very fond of the younglings that he was tasked with in his time in creche; they all shared a special place in his heart, something that he didn’t even think to dare tell anyone. The Jedi are supposed to care for all beings equally, despite how impossible that seems. Anakin is trying to follow that teaching, but it is not an easy task. 

Especially with how all of the younglings pretty much became Anakin’s number one fans. They all got excited to greet him every morning that week. Although the time assigned to Anakin to be with them was from lunch to twenty minutes before dinner, Anakin decided to go from breakfast to just about the same time. Master Roncha was more than delighted to have him aboard, though she never said it out loud. 

He had decided to do this after the second day. The children decided that they liked having Anakin over for more time and wanted him to come earlier. How was he supposed to say no to that request with such cute faces? So, even though early mornings were the bane of Anakin’s Jedi existence (he had to get up even earlier on Tatooine, but his body adjusted quickly to the new sleeping schedule and he learned to love sleep) he did it for the younglings, and that was reason enough for him. 

Obi-Wan didn’t give Anakin any clues as to how he felt about all of this. His behavior was the same as it always was, as far as he could see, but there seemed to be a bit of a subtle shift in him. Obi-Wan was a tough one to read, and though Anakin has gotten quite good at reading him (the best, he might say to others) he still can’t read everything. Obi-Wan almost seems indifferent to not having Anakin around him for most of the day, though he does tell him that he is loving the break.

Anakin was more bothered by his master’s attitude than he would like to admit. Despite how often he tells himself not to, Anakin can’t help but care about what Obi-Wan thinks of him and try to live up to all his expectations and exceed them. This is a very difficult task because Obi-Wan only ever seems to dish out criticism without offering up compliments. It is something that really decreases Anakin’s own perspective on his self-worth and skills. It’s hard to please Obi-Wan, Anakin learned to think.

But it’s easy to please Chancellor Palpatine. The Chancellor was a good friend and mentor for Anakin, and he was always ready with praise to make Anakin feel better. Anakin hasn’t seen him all week, now.  _ Maybe I should go to visit him tomorrow. Tell him about the younglings. He’s practically a grandpa, right? Maybe he’ll love it! _ Anakin thought to himself, eager to try and give back to the Chancellor for everything he has ever done for him.

Surprisingly, the absence of the Chancellor hasn’t really bothered him at anytime throughout the week. In fact, he had barely noticed now. Anakin’s brows raised in surprise, but he smiled. Anakin was becoming a little bit less dependant on the Chancellor. Anakin was growing up. The Chancellor was bound to be happy for Anakin, he was sure of it.

Anakin checked the chrono on his wall and saw that it was six in the morning and was time for him to get up. Groaning, Anakin got out of bed and rushed to the refresher to escape the cold. He hadn’t slept all night, his thoughts too disruptive. Thoughts about the younglings and what was going to happen now that he wasn’t required to go to help out. Would they move on and forget about him? He hoped so, but the thought of it made his heart hurt.

He had grown attached to the younglings.

He wasn’t sure how nobody else did. They were very lovable and he couldn’t imagine being distant enough to not grow attached to the little guys. 

Anakin’s thoughts shifted to Master Yoda and the afternoon that he visited. It had been on day two, the same day as Master Windu’s visit. The younglings had all greeted Master Yoda respectfully, but under that respectful welcome was a buzz of excitement. In the tiny smiles, in the slight bounce of a few, and the Force was alive with the joy. 

Although Anakin respected Master Yoda greatly- and even saw him as a bit of a role model- he couldn’t really imagine what could get the younglings to be so overjoyed to see the old Master. 

Even after Master Yoda’s lesson, though considering what that lesson was, he was hardly surprised.

\-----------------------------------------

“Now, younglings. Take break from meditation, we will. Learn about planets, we shall. Over to the map reader, we go. Padawan Skywalker, the shades.” 

As Yoda and the younglings walked towards a pole, Anakin went to the wall to draw the shades. Biting his lip, he hoped that he would find the right button and not embarrass himself in front of everyone. After looking at all the buttons on the wall and confident that he had the right one, he heard a small voice whisper  _ on the right _ . It sounded like the small human boy, Liam (“ _ My name is Liam and you are really cool and what’s it like to be a padawan and- _ ” “ _ One question at a time, Liam _ .” “ _ Yes, Master Amila _ .”) and Anakin quickly pressed the button and turned to join the group. Anakin gave a little nod of thanks to the blond boy as he went to stand with Master Yoda, Liam gave a bright tiny smile back.

Whether Master Yoda noticed or not, he didn’t show, he just continued where he left off.

“Gigantic, the Galaxy is, yes? Big and full of many people. Belong to this Galaxy, millions of different lifeforms do.” Master Yoda then pointed to a spot that Anakin knew to be Coruscant. “Here, we live. Small, it is, yes? Largest population, Coruscant has. Of all types of sentient beings. Hmmm. Diverse, this Galaxy is. Diverse, the Jedi are.” Yoda walked around to the other side, to be among the younglings. He went to stand next to Shad, and stopped there.

“Of what planet are you, Shad?”

“Um, Coruscant?” Shad had his head tilted, a small twist of confusion on his lip.

“Live here, yes. But born on Ryloth, you were. Of Lessu, you were.” Shad opened his mouth and let out a sound of understanding. “Originate from Ryloth, the Twi’lek do. But born on Ryloth, not all are. Master Roncha, of Corellia, she is.” Master Yoda did a simple wave of his hand and made the map zoom in to the Gaulus Sector and all the sectors surrounding it. Like the Arkanis Sector. 

“Ryloth, in the Gaulus Sector, it is.” Master Yoda pointed to it and turned his head to the younglings. “In Gaulus Sector, other planets there are. Know of any, do you?” The younglings shook their heads. “Hmm. Not many of great importance, there are. Learn them, you still must. Of what territories, belongs the Gaulus Sector?”

“The Outer Rim Territories?”  _ Ashla _ , his mind was quickly able to identify.

“Very good. Yes, of the Outer Rim Territories, it belongs. Of the Outer Rim, many sectors are. Belong to the Republic, do the territories?”  _ No _ , a surprisingly bitter voice said in Anakin’s mind (a voice that sounded like Kitster, like Amee, like Melee, like Ward, like a young Anakin Skywalker, like  _ Mom _ ). With no emotion other than interest, the “No” was voiced out loud by the younglings. “Correct, you are. Of the Republic, most of the Outer Rim is not.” Here, Master Yoda’s eyes met Anakin’s.

“Padawan Skywalker, of the Outer Rim, he is. Of which planet, do you come from, hmm?” Master Yoda was staring at Anakin and Anakin felt trapped. This felt like a set up, a set up to make the younglings see him like the Padawans do (“ _ Just a slave. _ ”). But why would Master Yoda do that? Didn’t he just say that he was glad that Anakin was enjoying himself with the younglings? Anakin looked at the gathered younglings and saw that all of them were looking at him with curious eyes. Not at all judging, not really. Just the eyes of a child wanting to know the next part of the story. 

Anakin tried to calm himself. This wasn’t an attack on him. 

“Um, Tatooine, Master. I’m from Tatooine, in the Arkanis Sector.”

“Hmm. Younglings, point out the Arkanis Sector, can you?” A young brunette human girl, Genvonme (“ _ Is it true that you helped in the Invasion of Naboo?” “How do you know-” “I’m from Naboo! Or, at least that’s what Master Amila told me.” “But, you were probably just a baby at the time.” “I have a friend who is eleven and she told me about how everyone knew about it!” “Oh, I didn’t realize-” “I’m Genvonme! Gen for short! Nice to meet you! _ ” She smiled a smile that must have been common among Nubian Humans, because it reminded him of Padme.) came forward and pointed at the Arkanis Sector’s general location.

“Right here, Master Yoda.”  _ Amazing how she is so calm when in the presence of a Master _ , Anakin thought. He wasn’t surprised at all.

“Correct you are, Genvonme. Under whose rule, is Arkanis Sector?”

“The Hutt’s rule, Master Yoda.”  _ Perhaps intelligence is a Nubian trait.  _

“Correct again. Here, have influence, the Republic does not. Why is that? Hmm?” There was no answer among the younglings. Just a small shuffle of the feet. “Have great influence, the Hutt’s do. Interfere with this, the Jedi must not. Under Republic jurisdiction, the Jedi are. Our place to intervene, it is not.” Master Yoda zoomed out the map and kept it at containing almost the entire Galaxy. “Big, our Galaxy is. Under Republic rule, most of the Galaxy is. Help the majority, our duty it is. Help everyone, we can not.” Master Yoda continued to talk, but Anakin was no longer listening.

Anakin has heard this too many times to count. Anytime he brought up what happened on Tatooine, he was told This. Anytime he talked about his past as a slave, he was told This. It wasn’t only the Masters who told Anakin This, either. It was any Jedi, Padawan or Knight, who Anakin tried to get support from that told him This. 

It was a lesson that started off at an early age. 

Anakin felt a twist in his stomach, one that always occurred after he was told This. He was going to be sick.

“Padawan Skywalker, looking greener than I, you are.” The younglings giggled. “Feel unwell, do you, hmm?” At this the younglings stopped giggling and they became worried. Their eyes looking to him to see if he looked okay. Anakin forced a smile, he didn’t want to worry the younglings over himself, of all things.

“I’m fine, M-Master Yoda. Must have been something I ate.”

“Hmm, blame the chefs, do you?”

“No, I wasn’t saying that, Master Yoda. I guess I might have eaten a little too much, is all!”

“Hmm. Not of the Jedi Way, Gluttony is. How embarrassing.” Yoda shaked his head, and while the intent of the comment was meant to be humorous, only a few of the younglings laughed. The rest seemed to be watching Anakin carefully, because they know that he didn’t eat more than the recommended portion that is posted along the cafeteria walls for all, dependant on age, height, and species. They knew Anakin was lying to Master Yoda but they didn’t know what to do.

“You’re right, Master Yoda. I’ll make sure not to repeat this incident.” After saying his piece, Anakin bowed to the old master. Yoda looked at Anakin with a knowing gleam in his green eyes, but he let it go.

Not much happened afterward. After Master Yoda’s lesson on some planets and the going ons of the Galaxy and the Jedi’s “place”, the younglings were allowed to play. Master Yoda went to join Master Roncha, who had been meditating alone in another room, more than happy to give the younglings to others to watch for a while. This left Anakin alone with the younglings, which was more than fine with him.

“So, what do you guys want to play?” Anakin asked them with an easy-going smile, shoving everything unpleasant to the back of his mind. The younglings shouldn’t be burdened by his own personal problems. 

Mari looked to Gen, who in turn looked to Shad, who them looked to Gaines, who looked to Ashla and so on. Nobody was looking at him until Gen nodded her head and then turned to look at Anakin directly in the eyes and stepped forward. Despite Gen being a six-year old girl, Anakin had to admit that he got a little scared.

“Why did you lie to Master Yoda?”  _ Oh great, I’m getting confronted on this by kriffing younglings.  _ Anakin tried his best to focus on his initial reaction, which was annoyance, to quiet down feelings he didn’t want to think about. All the other younglings were almost unnervingly identical in their stares, Anakin was debating the benefits of leaving.

“I didn’t lie, I just...exaggerated the truth. I did eat a bit over the recommended portion.”

“Not enough to get sick, though, right?” Asked Ashla with watery eyes and a whimpering pout. His weakness.

“I’m not sick, Ashla. I’m not going to get sick either. Look, I’m sorry that I worried you with my lie-”

“So it was a lie!”

“-Gaines, I swear to the Force, stop interrupting me!” Anakin didn’t need to look to know that Gaines had joined Ashla in pouting, though for a different reason. Anakin took a breath in an effort to calm himself, he wasn’t going to take out his frustrations on the younglings. “I’m sorry, Gaines, I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you. I know you’re worried - all of you- but please don’t be. It isn’t your fault.”

“But if it isn’t our fault that you got all green like Master Yoda said, then what?” 

“First, I wasn’t actually green as that is impossible for a Human without some kind of make-up or something. Second, it’s not your fault, okay? I’m not upset with you because you did nothing wrong. I just….had a bit of a problem with something that Master Yoda was teaching you.”

“Was it about the Outer Rim? B’cause you’re from there? I’m from there, too!”  _ Trust Shad to try and make you feel better by trying to be relatable _ Anakin’s lips twitched a small amount in amusement.

“It’s not exactly the same thing, Shad. Ryloth is part of the Republic, while where I came from was...not.”

“What planet are you from again?” Shad’s nearly black eyes looked to Anakin in curiousity, waiting for an answer. Anakin wasn’t sure he wanted to give it. 

Ever since the initial period in which Anakin would tell everything and everyone just where he was from in an effort to try and raise awareness to his goal of freeing all the slaves, he was met with negativity. He was told that, while the situation was important, it wasn’t any more so than the problems of the rest of the Galaxy, or that he shouldn’t get attached to a group of people and try to make them a priority as it goes against the Jedi Code. Anakin was only ever given a variation of these answers or just outright ignored. Sometimes, someone would complain to Obi-Wan, who would in turn talk to Anakin. Or, review the Jedi Code, pretty much. 

Because of this, Anakin decided to just not talk about his past. He came close to leaving the Jedi just a couple years ago and he wasn’t going to do it again. Anakin looked at the younglings, they only wanted to know where he was from, be included in the activity that they all participated in. 

“I’m from...Tatooine. My home planet is Tatooine.” Anakin stated with a heavy sigh, he prepared himself for the comments that he was about to receive. The time spent with the younglings was good while it lasted. 

“What is Tatooine like? I never heard of it.” Anakin looked to the voice to see it was Gen, the self-proclaimed “smart one”. There was no judgement in her eyes, in any of their eyes.

“Tatooine is...a big desert planet. It’s pretty much all sand.”

“Like Jakku?”

“Yeah, like Jakku. Although it could be argued that Tatooine is worse. It has two suns and three moons. It is completely under the Hutt’s control and it is pretty much full of two kinds of people: criminals and people who want to leave but can’t. It’s pretty dangerous to live there if you don’tknow what you are doing.” Anakin didn’t mention anything about the slavery being very much alive and thriving. Alive and thriving because Tatooine didn’t fall into the problems that Jedi dealt with, because it wasn’t part of the Republic. An idea that was taught to the Jedi in their early childhood. 

“Listen, Tatooine is not a good place at all, okay? And...even though it is not part of the Republic, it’s still important to think about it. I’m from Tatooine and the only reason that I’m here today and not a...not there, is because Master Qui-Gon needed to repair the queen’s ship. There are tons of others out there who need help from the Jedi but the Jedi don’t really want to help them.”

“But the Jedi are supposed to help everyone! Master Yoda said so!”

“The Jedi are supposed to view everyone as equal, no putting a priority on anyone. Unless we are sent by the Senate to intervene, of course.”

“But...isn’t that bad?”

“I think so, but I can’t tell you what to think. That’s up to you to decide yourself. I just... wanted you to know that you don’t have to agree with the Jedi Masters all the time on stuff like this, okay?” The younglings nodded their heads, though many of them still had confused expressions. That was to be expected, really, but as long as Anakin got them thinking about this, he was satisfied.

“So that’s why you were feeling sick? Because you didn’t like that the Jedi didn’t help everyone?” Mari said with a look in her eye that spoke of an understanding and confusion.

“Something like that. Of course, the Jedi can’t help everyone, but we are not making as much of an effort that we could be making simply because it is not our place, whatever that means. Maybe I’m being very simple about this, but I still think we are not doing as much as we could to make the Galaxy a better place for everyone.”

“Yeah! What Ani said!”  _ Did he just call me “Ani”? _ Anakin didn’t do anything about it, though he sent Shad a look. But it seemed that plenty of the younglings were on the same page as Shad, nodding with a cutely determined look on their faces. The cuteness didn’t take away from the seriousness of their determination. 

“Okay, calm down a bit. Also, don’t call me Ani. It’s Anakin, alright?” Anakin told them with a raised eyebrow, more amused than anything with his childhood nickname being used again. Unfortunately, they caught on to the fact. 

“Okay, Ani!”  _ Cheeky brats _ , Anakin thought with a twitching mouth and happy gleam in his eye. Not all the younglings parroted the response, and those that didn’t sent him shy smiles.

Brats. “How about we play some Tag, okay? I’m It! Go!” The younglings all scattered with a few squeals of laughter following them. Anakin smiled to himself, his mind more at peace than before. 

They played for a little over half an hour before Masters Roncha and Yoda returned from their meditation. The game had just started to get more heated when they were interrupted. A Zabrak girl named Gabra ( _ “You know, you have very poofy hair. Can I touch it? My name’s Gabra, by the way. Gabra Nama.” “Why do you want to touch my hair?” Because it’s poofy!” “Okay, then.” _ Anakin then bent down so that Gabra could touch his hair, but she instead poked him and yelled out  _ “You’re It! _ ” and ran off. Interesting tactic to say the least.) was currently It, again, and relentless in her chase to catch someone else. 

“Younglings, stop your play. Time to make a final “goodbye” and “thank you” to Master Yoda.”

“Bye, Master Yoda! Thank you for the lesson today!” All the younglings said in unison as they bowed to the ancient master. Anakin bowed himself, though not at the same time as the younglings. Master Yoda gave a small chuckle and left with a “May the Force be with you” farewell. Master Roncha bowed as he left and then turned to the younglings with a peaceful smile on her face.

“Now, how about another ten minutes and then we can get ready to practice some more mediation, alright younglings?” 

“Yes, Master Amila.”  _ Oh Force, why?  _ thought Anakin to himself, but his actions must have reflected his thoughts because Master Roncha turned to him with an amused twinkle in her eyes. 

\-----------------------------

Anakin had long finished his shower and gotten dressed while in his thoughts. He had long ago mastered how to put himself on autopilot, he mastered it while still on Tatooine. In the kitchen, Anakin got himself a light breakfast of a small fruit so that he could go eat with the younglings. It was almost time for him to leave, he had about twenty minutes to get there, so he was going to sit at the table and think. 

Anakin wasn’t sure what he was going to do after today, and he was honestly a little scared. He wanted to continue to interact with the younglings, but he also had his own life to get back to. He had lessons with his classes and lessons with his master. He had missions and his own “extracurricular” activities that he needed to get back to. 

But, he still didn’t want to give this up. 

_ “What we teach them is to be used as a basis to what they learn later on. It isn’t your place to interfere with that,  _ young  _ Skywalker…” “...Interfere with this, the Jedi must not. Under Republic jurisdiction, the Jedi are. Our place to intervene, it is not...Help everyone, we can not.” _

Anakin looked at the chrono and saw that it was time to head out, those lines from the two masters still ringing in his head. Something told him that his conflict will be resolved soon. He just wasn’t sure if he would like it.

He really wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I think that I might end up writing a fic where Anakin gets reborn as a dog, with all his memories, on Jakku and Rey finds him. Let me know if you find the idea interesting and if you think I should go for it. (I'm a sucker for characters reborn as animals (one of my all-time favorite movies from childhood was Fluke) so I wanted to try with my all-time favorite character. Also to make Rey less lonely)


End file.
